Fuel delivery station



June 30, 1942. P. E. PIHL E'I'AL FUEL DELIVERY STATION Filed June 1,1938 Patented June 30, 1942 FUEL DELIVERY STATION Paul E. Pihl andCharles F. One, United States Navy Application June 1, 1938, Serial No.211,170

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370- 0. G. 757) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a fuel delivery buoy, and has for an object toprovide an improved method and means of rapidly refueling a fleet ofpatrol planes.

It is quite a problem to rapidly refuel a fleet of patrol planes,especially when each of the planes has a capacity for a great quantityof fuel. When only a single fuel tender is available, it is obvious thatit will take a considerable period of time for an entire fleet of patrolplanes to be refueled when each individual plane has to await its turnuntil a preceding plane has been refueled. This involves a serious lossof operating time, especially in times of emergency when it may beimportant that thepatrol be kept in active operation for a maximumperiod of time.

It is an object of this invention to provide means whereby a single fuelor gasoline tender may carry a plurality of auxiliary, but collapsible,refueling stations in the form of individual buoys, so that eachindividual plane of the patrol fleet may be provided with an individualrefueling station, as a result of which it will take no longer to refuelthe entire fleet than it does to refuel an individual plane.

A further object of this invention is to provide such individual planerefueling stations in the form of a plurality of collapsible individualfuel containing buoys, it being contemplated that each individual fuelbuoy may be refueled from the fuel tender while the patrol fleet is awayon duty, thus being available immediately and quickly to refuel theindividual plane to which it may be assigned.

A further object of this invention is to provide an individual fuel orgasoline containing buoy which will be of ample strength and capacity tohold the required quantity of fuel and which may be refilled with fuelon the deck of the tender and lowered into the water at the desiredlocation, or, if necessary, may be refilled with fuel while alreadyfloating on the water.

A further object of this invention is to provide a buoy which will becollapsible for storage and transportation purposes, and which, how-vever, will also include means preventing the buoy from collapsing whileit is floating in position, even after the fuel has been drainedtherefrom.

A further object of this invention is to provide a method ofsimultaneously refueling a plurality of planes of a patrol fleetindirectly from a single fuel tender so that the patrol fleet may bekept ready for service operation for a maximum period of time.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists inthe construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterdescribed and illustrated in the drawing.

The figure is an elevational View of the fuel delivery buoy of thisinvention.

The fuel delivery buoy of this invention comprises a collapsiblecontainer consisting of an inflatable fabric bag I 0, suitablyimpregnated with rubber or cement, either artificial or natural, such aswill make it leakproof and corrosionproof against the fuel, gasoline orbuoyant gas that it is to contain in operation, and likewise against thesea water or other liquids in which it may be floating. Artificialrubber has been found very good for serving the purpose of impregnatingthe fabric.

This bag Ill will preferably be spherical in shape and the diametersubstantially 6 feet for average use, although the dimensions may bemade greater or less, according to service needs.

A plurality of finger patches H attached in a circle near the bottom ofthe bag may have anchor suspension lines I 2 secured thereto andcarrying an eye l3, to which may be secured an anchor rope M for mooringthe buoy in the desired location. Secured to the same finger patches Hby other lines l5 is ballast weight I6 for causing the buoy to float inproper position. Additional finger patches 18, secured in a circleadjacent the other or top side of the bag l0, have suspension cables l9secured thereto from a hoisting ring 20, whereby the entire buoy may belifted by a suitable crane for removal from or to the mooring positionor to the fuel tender.

Extending through the top of the bag H1 is a fuel supply hose 2| havingits lower end 22 secured as at 23 adjacent the bottom of the inside ofthe bag, the hose 2| being of flexible material so that it may becollapsed when the bag It] is collapsed for storage or transportation.

The hose 2| extends through the top of the bag I!) and terminates in afiller and supply line fitting 24 equipped with a valve 25 and a cap 26attached by cable 2! to the bag It) to prevent it from being lost.Secured within the fabric container 28 to the top of the bag It] is abottle 29 for compressed gas filled preferably with carbon dioxide andconnected by pipe 39 and control and relief valve 3| to the inside ofthe bag Ill.

In operation, the fuel or gasoline tender may carry a great number ofthese collapsible and inflatable buoys. In order to refuel a patrolfleet of a large number of planes rapidly, the

tender will take one of these individual buoys from storage, suspend itby the ring 20 from a suitable crane and fill it with suitable fuel suchas gasoline or fuel oil, depending upon the type of engine in the planeto be serviced. Before filling it with fuel it will probably bedesirable to first inflate it with the gas and then connect a fuel lineto the pipe 24 and fill the bag it] with fuel, allowing the gas to ventto the atmosphere through the control and relief valve 3|. After thusfilling the bag, a new bottle, properly filled with carbon dioxide, willbe substituted for the empty bottle and the bag will be placed in .mooI-ing position with the anchor .cable I4 attached to the anchor ring [3.

Due to the difference in specific gravity between the fuel and the seawater, or even fresh water, the bag It will float, although .fullyinflated with fuel. A similar bag properly fueled, will be placed ateach mooring station to provide an individual refueling station for eachplane of the patrol fleet. When the fleet arrives each individual planemay quickly connect its fueling line to the fitting 24 and pump out thefuel in fleet is refueled and takes off for continued operation, thefuel tender will then proceed to replace the fuel removed from each bagH] and replace the emptied carbondioxide bottle 28 with a full bottle,so that all of the bags It will be again refueled by the time the patrolfleet has returned for a new supply of fuel.

Other modifications and changes in the proportions and arrangements ofthe parts may be made bythose skilled in the art without departing fromthe nature of the invention, within the scope of what is hereinafterclaimed.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government of the United States of America for governmental purposeswithout the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, whatis claimed is:

1. A fueling station comprising a portable, collapsible, inflatable fuelcontainer, a collapsible fuel supply and discharge line extending withinsaid container to adjacent the bottom thereof, a filler and supply linefitting extending into said container and connected to said containercollapsible supply line, a gas pressure bottle, a conduit connectingsaid gas pressure bottle to said container, and a control and releasevalve connected to said pressure supply conduit.

2. A fueling station comprising a portable, collapsible, inflatable fuelcontainer, a collapsible fuel supply and discharge line extendingwithin,

said container to adjacent the bottom thereof, a filler and supply linefitting extending into said container and connected to said containercollapsible supply line, a gas pressure bottle, a conduit connectingsaid gas pressure bottle to said container, a control and release valveconnected to said pressure supply conduit, and ballast means connectedto the bottom of the container to cause said container to float withsaid filler and supply fitting at the top.

3. A fueling station comprising a portable, collapsible, inflatable fuelcontainer, a collapsible fuel supply and discharge line extending withinsaid container to adjacent the bottom thereof, a filler and supply linefitting extending into said container and connected to said containercollapsible supply line, a gas pressure bottle, a conduit connectingsaid gas pressure bottle to said container, a control and release valveconnected to said pressure supply conduit, ballast means connected tothe bottom of the container to cause said container to float with saidfiller and supply fitting at the top, and anchor line connecting meanssecured to the bottom of said container.

4. A fueling station-comprising a portable, collapsible, inflatable fuelcontainer, a collapsible fuel supply and discharge line extending withinsaid container to adjacent the bottom thereof, a filler and supply linefitting extending into said container and connected to said containercollapsible supply line, a gas pressure bottle, a

conduit connecting-said gas pressure bottle to said container, a controland release valve connected to said pressure supply conduit, ballastmeans connected to the bottom of the container to cause said containerto float with said filler'and supply fitting at the top, anchor lineconnecting means secured to the. bottom of said container, andsuspension connecting means secured adjacent the top of said container.

PAUL E. PIHL. CHARLES F. COE.

